Welcome to Vol. 60 of Email Advice in Your Inbox
Back like we never left!
We can’t believe it’s been a month already since we last hit your inbox, so happy 2026!
This year has already started with a flurry of new stuff, inbox changes, AI advancements and a heap more, and we’re only midway through January…
The good news is that we’re going to be along for the ride (in your inbox, at least) and we’ve got some MASSIVE plans for the Email Advice In Your Inbox community ahead.
Today’s Volume is a quick insight into what we’re working on, what’s happening in the email space, and a bit of feedback fun to make sure we tailor everything you do this year with you in mind.
We’re elated that you’re here! Let’s get 2026 going, shall we?
What have we found to expand your email knowledge today?
Here are a few of our favourite links from across the email and business world, carefully curated just for you:
Find of the week ⭐
We’re introducing a favourite tool, resource or partner offer for our community in each Volume this year.
Today, we kick off with a time-saving tool that we’ve used to build this email.
WisprFlow is a remarkably intelligent voice-to-text AI that converts speech into clear, polished writing in virtually every app.
We’re also constantly on the lookout for new resources, news, tools and links, so hit us up if you’ve got something valuable to feature!
What are we working on? So glad you asked!
True to form, we’re approaching 2026 with our community in mind (that’s you, {{name|Friend}}).
Much of the time we were actually supposed to spend resting over December and early January, wound up involving some introspection:
How can we keep these emails valuable to you?
What is important to make sure you stick around?
What should we be changing, adding or removing?
And a serious heap more.
As we begin kicking off where these emails are going in 2026, we thought we’d let you in on some of the action and share a few insider tidbits on what you can expect in your inbox this year.
What’s in store for 2026
Here’s a quick TLDR of what we’re working on this year:
Our refreshed brand: We’re currently working on enhancing the look and feel of these emails. Your reading experience matters, so don’t be surprised if things start looking a little different in the coming months.
Community groups: We’ll be launching networking and collaboration spaces, both on LinkedIn and in these emails. We’re keen to keep things free, but for those die-hard fans and folks looking to learn, a pro-email group launching in Q2.
Our referral programme: We’re working on a neat referral programme. We want your friends, family and even your ex reading these emails, so why not incentivise that a little?
New tools: This is an exciting one! We’re working on a few tools to help you win. Unfortunately, we can’t let the cat(s) out of the bag just yet, but let’s just say, there’s some exciting stuff in the works for our readers.
Milestone features: For our dedicated readers and fans…we want to feature you! We’re working on ways to give back for your loyal readership, and launching something to say thanks real soon.
New resources: These don’t stop! We’ll be reworking our Ultimate List of Newsletters to make finding newsletter recs a breeze, building out our updated 2026 Guide to Growing Your Email List, and some easy-to-use email GPTs, and a heap more headed your way.
Lastly, we’re also looking to take these emails weekly!
We know…your inbox is likely already pretty full, but we’re planning to bring you more of the good (email) stuff on the regular.
You’ll still dictate how often you hear from us, but if you want more email, you’ll get it!
Again, we’re so stoked that you’re along for the ride. This is your year for email with us, and we hope you’ll stick around for more exciting stuff we’ve got in the works.
A bit of advice to help you this year
You know we can’t send an email without at least a hint of email advice (this is Email Advice in Your Inbox, after all).
Effective email isn’t going to get easier as 2026 progresses, and there will be a heap of “shiny objects” distracting you from what’s crucial to email success.
If you seriously want to succeed with your newsletter or email programme this year, here’s our (sage) advice:
Value over everything: With things like AI taking over inboxes, what’s going to stand out is making sure your emails are valuable.
No more lazy email sending, or even sending for the sake of it. This is going to tank the incentive folks have to read what you have to say, share or sell, so here’s what you’re going to ask yourself before you hit send this year:
“Is this email valuable to my audience, and what are they getting out of this?”
If the answer doesn’t immediately come to mind (and leave those rose-tinted glasses off when asking), then don’t send it.Relevance wins: We’ve spoken about the value of your emails, but is that value relevant?
This begins with your audience (no surprise there). If what you’re sending is not relevant, it’s not valuable.
2026 is the year you segment. Aggressively. If you’re sending one thing and hoping it’s relevant to everyone, you may want to take a step back and consider who you’re sending it to and why what you’re sending is relevant.
This could be the stage of the lifecycle they’re at, their 1st-party data and what action you intend for them to take. That’s the best place to start.Don’t be lazy: Yep, we said it. Lazy won’t win you any fans (or money, for that matter). This could be life advice, but AI isn’t coming to rescue you either.
Be intentional and thoughtful in your email planning, strategy and the way you position yourself. If you don’t, there’s a heap of noise out there you’re going to get lost in.
Planning is one thing. Intentional, active effort is another.
Make an active effort to grow your list well.
Put in time to learn about your audience.
Find resources, tools and advice that make you better.
C’mon, new year, new emails, am I right? Growth takes a little elbow grease.
If you’re stuck, we’re here to help! We’re getting actively involved in helping our audience this year, so if you’re stuck or simply need some direction, we promise to reply to anyone asking for help here.
P.S. Help us help you!
Our goal remains this for 2026: Make these emails the most valuable emails our community receives in their inbox.
You can help with just that (seriously).
We have 4 questions that will take you but a minute to answer, and we’d seriously appreciate you telling us what YOU expect to hear about this year.
Hit the big button below and tell us, because you know you want to 😉
We’re so excited to spend this year in your inbox, so thanks for being here! Keep reading to see what else we have lined up to kick things off 💌
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What even is “cringecore coded”?
You’ll have noticed we’re fans of using GIFs in our emails.
Apparently, they’re no longer cool? Is it just the millennial in me, or can someone help translate?
Guess an image-format hill we’re prepared to die on 😏😏
Again, we’re so happy you’re along for the 2026 ride!
If you have any feedback or knowledge to share, click here! Oh, and please share this email with your friends and colleagues if you think they’ll find value over here.
Your feedback only makes us better.
Your friend in email,
Des
